Bill Gates injects 12.2m into yam production in Nigeria, Ghana R1CULn;RE exptttS (rom dilTCfUlI paru 0( AI· rica. Including 50~ parts of Europe. n:ccnLly on the lntunaUCJnallnsUlul.e ofTroplcal Agriculture OITA). lbadan. Oyo State. to stralCgtse on how to make yam. often regarded as an orphan crop. popular and acceptable to fannen on the conUncnL $0 thai Il could ~ve a global attenuon and command commerc:\aJ and tndustnal ''alue In Ihe tn· lernatJonaJ markeL TIle new yam projeCt. whld\ Is called. ·Yam Improvement for InamlC and to' ood Securtty In West /\Cr1ca -(YllFSWAl. has also reechoed the endorsement and support ol the Bill &. Melinda GateS Foundation. with the InjectiOn of S 12.2 mUllan Into It. In order to boost yam production In Ghana and NJger1a. the two major AfrIcan naUons known for large scale produc-
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... As experts converge on llTAfor action Yam regarded as an orphan crop in Africa. has not been enjoy· ing the attention of agriculture experts in terms of research. However, the Bill and Me linda Gates Foundation recently r eo leased $12.2 million for the purpose of increasing ywn production both in yield and net output by 40 per cent in Ghana and Nigeria. Seye Adeniyt witnessed the official launch of the yam project at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (UTA), lbadan. Oyo State. His reports:
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The YlIFSWA projeCt wtJl ~ led by IITA in collaboration with the: ~rnmenUi of Ghana and Nlgerta. the United Kingdom Natural Resources InsUtute INRI) and the Alliance (or- III Green RevoluUOn In Africa IAGRAJ. through the Farmer Organ1$atJons Suppon Centre In Afrk:a IFOSCAl. Olhcr key partnerS In YllFSWA pn:;ect.. \\'hosc. geegraphlcaJ ~ areas are Igc1a and Ghana Include; the JotisskJoary Sisters of Holy Rosary (MSHRI. Kogt Stale. Nigeria. NaUOnal Root and lUbcr" Crop Rcscareh Institute (NRCRI); Crop Rcsea.rch Institute (CRI). Ghana; and catholic ReUd' 5c:rYIces (CRS). in collabo-
ration v.1th other nalional InsUtutlons. lht: ~ acx:ording to Dr-. Robert As6edu. the IITA R4D Dirtttor and Project Dtrector. wm focus on tn· tteaslng )'kids through better seed tuber supply and Improvtng markets for yam SpeakIng runhc:r. Dr Asfedu c:xp1a1ned to hundreds 01 partidpants that one 01 OW! goals of YlIf'SWA ~ .....as to doubk Incomes £rom yam ror over three mlIllon small·hokIer fanning families who depend on the crop In Wcst AfricB.. as wcll as contribute to food sccunty for prodl.H:lt:B and c:onsumers.. He II8Jd the p~ .....as almt:d at addressing crrtaln challenges whtdl yam prodUCUOD in Afr1(;a Ie facmg. adding that one of the major challenges is that despUe thClmportanceoCyamtotheeooncmyandU\uoCmany people. the crop sU11 race ~ oonstnllnts that haft sJgntf\canlly reduced its polcnt1als as a crop to support rural deYdopment and meet consumen!!" needs as an affordable nutr1lkJoal product. Other challenges fadng yam producuon which YlIFSWA project is OUt to address aa:ordlng to the expert Include; tac kling the unavailability and tinafl"ordabUity 0( htgh quality seed yams; solving the probkm of on·farm post·harvest losses; find solutions to U\e problems or low SOil fcrt1l lty: profcning solu00n to uno::ploUed potentials of yam (",,-are and seed) market by small · holder farmers : unavailability of adapted \'lll1elles to stress envirOnments of the Sa\-annah agro-eooklgIes diseases and pests; as well as solve 1M challenges of limited opponunilies ror small. hokIer fanners. mainly rural women In }"am producUon and marketing.
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calories in Ntgerta and Ghana. and for many people tn the~. they rank allove meal as a SOllI"CC of proldn. Yams is deeply tkd to the Itves. ItYd1hoods and
cultures In West Africa and amo ng Mricans In dlaspOras. yet. their fate hangs in the balance 3S 3 variety ofpeslS and dlseascs have now depressed yields to a m~ 14 pel'" cent of potc:ntJa] harvests-. she posIled . Speaking further. she saJd yam 8dcnUSts at lITA and the national r-esean:hcrs are already developing a host of new yam \'8J1cUCS that can address these chal· Icnges and that they are confident thai with addltJonal Invesunents. then: is tremendous potenUal to rapidly boost production and Income rrom yam. Dr KJplnga further explained that the Y11F'SWA project Is an ambitious. muh.lfaceted 8ft·year d fort wllh a vision or doubling !.he Incomes of lhrce million small· hOlder fanning ramllies The Initial rocus of the project Is on 200.000 smallholder rann famU les In Chana and Nlg~rta. 90 per cenl or who cultivate less than two acres . But the k~y priority - -c-:::::----------,,----- - - - - 15 to ensure that afford"Th . t able put and diseasee new yam unprovemen rree seeding are aval,l. project is coming at a critical able to farmers . along • with storage and han · time for fanners Wld consumers dUng technologies that . th W t A~ #, • ',.. can reduc~ post-harvest tn ~ "Ca regwn. 106$ . Yam brttd~rs will
For Dr- Norbert Mar-oya. the YlIFSWA Project Man· ager. the project alms to addn:ss !.hex challenges through thr roI:1owlng 0bJectives, strengthening small-fiCale farmers and lnldcr market linkages. parlkUlarly in k:ss accesslbl~ producoon ttreaS in onkr to realise: the bendlts from Increased ware yam pro- ~ ductivilY and market demand; strcngthc:rung the ca· padtles and empowutng smalll~ ranners In lhe }"am value chatn; estabUs hbJg sustainable ava1Jabllity ofhlgllquallty .seed yams on a oommcrdal \uble (priCe compeUU\'el basis tn ta..rgrted are.'lS: as well as reduc· Ing post-harvest losses and Improving product qual-
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lIy When asked why lhe focus is on yam and not other crops. Dr IMn) Reg1na KJpinga. a yam researcher and programme officer for !.he Agrkuhural Oa"'Clopment InlUa live a t !.he Bill 6: Mdinda Gates Foundation. stated that yam tubers """'Cre nrst domcstkated by African farmcJ"5 7.()(X) years ago. but today. 48. 1 million tons or )-am 81"'C produced annually across 4 " million h ectan:s of la nd in West AJ'nca's ·yam belt". which extends from Cote d '!\'(Ilre 10 Ntgerta. represc:nung over 90 per emt of the global production -Yam prvvtdes the mo5t unponnnt source of dklary
d~ftlop and widely disseminate nl!w. hlgher' yleld· Ing. disease· resistant varieties and the private sector partners are expected to playa key role by providing cerUHed seed and work.lng closely with efforls to link small ·holder ranners. particularly those In remote areas. to markets wh~re a strong and stwdy demand for yam tubers would allow them to realise the economic beneHts or Increased pro' ductlvity This ....111 be coordinated by AGRA'. Farmer Organisa tion Support Centre In Africa {FOSCAI programme.- she runher s tated For Dr N Fadel. !.he Lead Coordinator. Fanner Orgaili s aliolls Support C entre In Arrlc a (f"OSCAI.lndJgcnous crops Ilke}'1lmS often are 1"'Cfcrrcd to as orph."tn crops because. CYCJl though lhey are vi· tal staples ror mlllions or people In Wcst Africa. IItlle Is InVlC5ted In Improving }1e1ds. compared to majOr gl0bal ·commodlty" crops like maize. wheat and riCe. As a result, yam yk:kls ran ixkJv.' polenlla! However. as an Indigenous crop. yam Is bcll~r adapted to soU and climate condltlons In the regIOn
· Large scale commercial production of yam would help in a ch i eving food securl tll than some- commodity aops. and arc already .....dl-es· tabUshed In local dJct.s. These factors mean suc:cessful dfons 10 boost yields 8I"'C Ilkdy to be I'Il()f"'C sus tatnable arid have a greater Impact on food 5CCUnty by enhancing th~ preferred crop staple with good un· upped potenuals Speaking at the event. lhe Director-General . IITA. lbadan. Dr Ntenmya Sangtnga . s tated that yam Is becoming a priority crop In Nigeria and Mrica. The cultl\-aUOn ronaIns a lucraUve enlcrprtsc. It .....as found that with a potenUaI rate or I"'Ctum or 78 per c:cnL each dollar InVested In yam research generates 52US doUarti worth of ad<.HuooaJ rood for the poor. Tela· Uve to 124 US dollars for all househokIs. -for example. creaung an abundanci:: or a 1oca11~' produced nutritious stapie like yam can provide tn5ur· anee agatnst CI1se:5 sparked by a sudden. sharp r1se in gJobaI rood """,". It. should be noted thaI the new yam Improvemenl pn.;ect IS coming al a crii.ical time for ranncrs and con· sumers In Ule rqpon. Over Ole last decade. yam produc· tMty per hcct.'IrC has been S~I OT deduung In the Yam Belt due to a number 01 factofS.. Rc5earcho"5 warned Ulat this tm1d. comtng In the mkIsl or rapid populaUOll gro...."lh. couJd be "catastrophic" lOr the rt:g'on ....1Lhout efforts to revive the crop.